Why should you care about nutrition?
Nutrition is important to keep our bodies from becoming sick (bacterial, viral, disease, etc) or injured (sprains, breaks, joint problems, muscle strains and tears, tendonitis, etc). Proper nutrition also helps the body ward off common ailments attributed to genetics or “hormones” (acne, psoriasis, body odor, arthritis, carpal tunnel, muscle cramps/spasms, fatigue, indigestion, headaches, stomach aches, excess body fat, etc.).
Proper nutrition is essential for taking us from ‘sick’ to ‘well’, and from ‘well’ to ‘fit’. Sick, well and fit are measured by blood pressure, body fat, bone density, triglycerides, good and bad cholesterol, flexibility, muscle mass, etc. For example, a blood pressure of 160/95 is pathological (sick), 120/70 is normal or healthy (well), and 105/55 is consistent with an athlete’s blood pressure (fit); a body fat of 40% is pathological, 20% is normal or healthy, and 10% is fit. We observe a similar ordering for bone density, triglycerides, muscle mass, flexibility, HDL or “good cholesterol”, resting heart rate, and dozens of other common measures of health.
As an athlete (CrossFitter, endurance, Olympic, power, college, high school, professional, amateur, first responder, military, mom, dad, kid, grandparent, teacher, coach, trainer), nutrition can amplify or diminish the effect of your training efforts. To maximize muscle gain, recovery, strength, speed, stamina, endurance, fat loss, and performance, nutrition is your most basic and important building block.
